A U.S. appeals court ruled against President Donald Trump.
According to USA Today, on Thursday, a three-judge 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Seattle determined that grandparents, cousins and other close relatives should be excluded from his administration's 90-day travel ban.
The unanimous ruling contradicts the administration's controversial interpretation of what constitutes a "bona fide relationship."
"The government does not offer a persuasive explanation for why a mother-in-law is clearly a bona fide relationship, in the Supreme Court's prior reasoning, but a grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or cousin is not," the panel stated.
CBS and the Associated Press reported Friday that the Justice Department intends to take the latest ruling to the Supreme Court.
"The Supreme Court has stepped in to correct these lower courts before, and we will now return to the Supreme Court to vindicate the executive branch's duty to protect the nation," the department stated.
The court also delivered a blow to the Trump administration on the refugee issue, ruling against banning refugees who are accepted by resettlement agencies for 120 days. While the ruling would normally require 52 days to go into effect, the judges have expedited the timeline to just five days, pointing out that many refugees are "gravely imperiled," according to USA Today.
Last week, Reuters reported that the Trump administration sought to ban as many as 24,000 refugees with connections to a U.S. resettlement agency.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Instagram's 'Banned Grandmas' Calls Out Travel Ban[/READMORE]
Given recent questions posed by the panel, the ruling isn't all that shocking.
"How can the government take the position that a grandmother or grandfather, or aunt or uncle, of a child in the U.S. does not have a close familial relationship? What universe does that come from?" Judge Michael Hawkins asked last week.
Thursday's ruling comes less than three weeks before the temporary ban is set to expire on Sept. 24.
Next month, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an argument on whether Trump exceeded his authority in issuing the ban in the first place.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
